Wayne County Community College District

GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY

College Certificate
About the Program
The Geothermal Systems Technology Certificate
is designed to provide students with theoretical
knowledge and practical application experiences
necessary for a sustainable career in the Heating,
Ventilation and Air Conditioning, (HVAC) industry
where ground source heat energy is used for
heating and cooling the interior of a building.
Students acquire hands-on skills in troubleshooting,
maintenance, installation, operation, and repair
and replacement of related equipment.
Students will focus on exterior field work
and interior mechanical equipment installations.
Exterior work includes boreholes, ground heat
exchangers, header systems, and excavation.
Interior work includes pressure testing, manifolds
and connections to the ground source heat pump
equipment. Student will also be introduced to
load calculations and blueprint reading for
designing geothermal systems.
Certificate credits may be combined with
additional coursework to enhance the traditional
HVAC (Heating,Ventilation & Air Conditioning)
degree, transfer and associate programs at
WCCCD. Certificate credits also may be
combined with additional training, job experience
and/or professional examinations to qualify
for certification by national renewable energy
institutions. Students completing the WCCCD
Geothermal Systems Technology Certificate
Program are eligible for certification with the
International Ground Source Heat Pump
Association as an Accredited Installer.
Incumbent HVAC workers and other technical
professionals are encouraged to investigate how
a Geothermal REHC Certificate may relate to
their current work or business practices.

Admission Requirements
Students are required to do the following:
Fulfill all WCCCD admission requirements
Fulfill course placement requirements based
on COMPASS test.
Students must complete WCCCD Program
Application and submit to the Campus
Academic Officer.

Certificate Requirements
Students must complete all course work with
a grade of C or better to meet graduation
requirements.

College Certificate
Requirements
RECOMMENDED SEQUENCE OF COURSES

SEMESTER 1
HVA 104 Power Energy Air
3
Conditioning I
HVA 105 Power Energy Air
Conditioning II
4
GTT 220 GHEX Accreditation Exam Prep 4
SED 120 Residential and Commercial
Sustainable Design
3
SEMESTER TOTAL
14

SEMESTER 2
GTT 201 Geothermal REHC Technology
SED 100 Principles of Sustainable
Environmental Design
GTT 105 Applications of Geothermal
Systems
HVA 101 Basic Refrigeration
SEMESTER TOTAL

3
3
4
4
14

SEMESTER 3
HVA 102 Hermetic Systems
GTT 100 Principles of Thermogeology
MATH 121 Technical Mathematics I
RET 100 Renewable Energy/Alternative
Energy Principles
SEMESTER TOTAL

2
4
3
4
13

CERTIFICATE TOTAL CREDITS 41

Note: Certificate total hours may not include
prerequisites.

District Office
801 West Fort Street Detroit, MI 48226
General Information Number:
(313) 496-2600
Career Program Hotline: 800-300-2118
Information Website: www.wcccd.edu
E-mail: info@wcccd.edu
It is the policy of WCCCD that no person, on the basis of race,
color, religion, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, marital
status, disability, or political affiliation or belief, shall be
discriminated against, excluded from participation in, denied
the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination
in employment or in any program or activity for which it is
responsible or for which it receives financial assistance from
the U.S. Department of Education.
This document is for informational use only and does not
constitute a contract. WCCCD reserves the right to add or
delete, without notice, any course offering or information
contained in this document. 2/19/07
P118-0910